HILO — “As a Hawaiian subject, I am a protected person. … This body illegally enacts United States laws in violation of the Hague and Geneva conventions, and as a victim of war crimes that stem from this unlawful legislation, I demand that this body immediately cease and desist.”
Not once, not twice, not three times, but at least 20 times, those words were uttered, along with a dozen sentences in between, as residents of every stripe, from all corners of the island, came to the County Council meeting Wednesday to support Puna Councilwoman Jen Ruggles in her stance questioning U.S. law in Hawaii.
Because public testimony is allowed only on items on the agenda, the crowd ostensibly was testifying in support of Bill 160, a change to the ethics code spelling out that county employees and officers must provide “accurate and factual” information to the public. Most testifiers didn’t address the merits of the bill, which later passed first reading on a 5-3 vote.
Only a very few in the crowded council chambers stood when the council and other members of the audience recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag. Although remaining unfailingly polite, all sat stolidly, staring straight ahead.
Ruggles was not at the meeting, having declared her intention to not vote or introduce bills until she gets a letter from corporation counsel saying she will not be committing war crimes in doing so. Corporation Counsel Joe Kamelamela last month sent Ruggles a letter assuring her she won’t violate international law by fulfilling her duties as a councilwoman, but Ruggles wants a more detailed letter.
“The testimony precisely demonstrates why it is diligent I be assured that I am not violating the rights of my constituents who may qualify as protected persons by legislating,” Ruggles said when contacted outside the meeting. “The testimony demonstrates why this is such an important question to be taken seriously, not just by Corporation Counsel Kamelamela, but every legislator in Hawaii.”
Kamelamela is on vacation and did not attend the meeting.
Council members didn’t discuss the testimony, but when questioned after the meeting, Chairwoman Valerie Poindexter said she understood the testifiers to be supporting Bill 160.
“The majority came to testify in support of Bill 160 and ended their testimony asking us to cease and desist from our council positions,” Poindexter said. “I will not abandon my district, especially in a time when we are recovering from natural disasters that impact the entire island’s economic welfare.”
Sovereignty activist Kale Gumapac said the letter was drafted by a group who wanted to present a unified voice to the council. Another 10 or so testifiers used their own words on the same topic, during two hours of testimony.
“We’re looking for the County Council to put a moratorium on all legislation they do until they get an opinion from corporation counsel that what they are doing is legal,” said Gumapac, praising Ruggles for getting the ball rolling. “She stood up and asked the question because the consequences of acting are serious and I don’t think they’re taking it seriously.”
This has gone on long enough it is making a mockery of our local government even further than they usually do. Not standing for the Plege of Allegiance to the United States flag in a public building should be made illegal. Before everyone starts screaming it’s their right let’s think about the Tax Payers that believe in our country, is that offensive to them? It is to me, so your excluding that class of people. It seems we have lost the moral comapss of this country.
Stupid has a fan club.
All it took for the termites to come out was a little hot air. Those supporters really look like your native Hawaiian community.
Mental illness is a real problem in today’s society.
Delusional.
What wellness center did she get her medicine from, I want to go there?
Let’s show respect to anyone who publicly says “I am not an American.” The way we should show respect is to remove them from the voter list and enforce the laws that make it a crime for anyone to vote who is not an American citizen. By their own public utterance they have convicted themselves of breaking the law. I’m also guessing that non-citizens might not be eligible for government welfare handouts; or at the very least they are probably required to go through special procedures to get government handouts. These clowns deserve to get hit with actual consequences for their silly grandstanding.
First, with over 860 Polynesian-Hawaiian only programs funded with our tax
money, “Hawaiian Immersion Schools” funded with our tax money,
Polynesian-Hawaiian only homesteading funded with our tax money, tax
breaks for a race based Kamehameha Schools, OHA, etc. all funding should end immediately and let the Federal Government fund them, as they say that they are a foreign country, and NOT Americans.
Then there’s Kale Gumapac that along with his good buddy in crime David Sai played their “don’t have to pay your mortgage” scam on hundreds of unsuspecting folks that believed them, but ultimately lost their homes as a result.
Ironically, Gumapac started to believe his own nonsense and stopped
paying his mortgage on his home in HPP. Of course, right up until the
Sheriff’s Dept. showed up and physically removed him from it.
Even if you bought into this nonsense, I don’t see what could be that different on the local level. Whether you call it the USA or the Hawaiian Kingdom, either way Puna residents need a local representative looking out for their local needs and the spending of the local taxes. Would people’s needs or options for police, fire, parks, roads, etc be any different either way?
The only real impact of Ruggles actions is she is changing the amount of local representation available to Puna residents from 1 representative to 0 representatives. But hey if the other council members want to change the budget to redirect all Puna spending to the other districts until Puna wants somebody who wants to speak up for them, fine with me.
ALL these comments are spot on. Perhaps Ruggles should be required to return her $70K salary intended as compensation for her “participation” in legislating since she is refusing to live up to her obligations as the Puna representative on the county council. If she refuses to do her “job”, she should not be paid!
Perhaps she should be checked into an asylum or arrested for treason?
Put them on a reservation !11
Without the U.S. military, they would be speaking Japanese.
China luvs them, this we know,
They kowtow to them and pretend
that they “gave” them Pearl Harbor and are their slaves….
And, of course, you owe them $$$$$ cuz they is good.
Someone should have ordered a Pizza!
What all the Caucasians, and little Miss Ruggles, did NOT apparently hear in translation is that according to the Constitution for their “New Kingdom” that OHA sponsored, to the tune of our millions tax dollars, to come up with a few years back, NO ONE BUT only Polynesians, that can prove at least one drop of magic blood, would be allowed to vote in their Kingdom.
Thank goodness the FEDERAL COURTS stepped in and didn’t allow it.
Nothing but pure racial supremacy no different than White Skinheads.